[crazyloco]

Chapter One

“Oye! Guapa! Donde vas esta noche?!”

The catcall—easily the seventh or eighth so far in a span of less than twenty minutes—triggered an eye roll and caused Ashley to walk a little faster. She certainly didn’t mind attention provided, of course, it had some modicum of sophistication. But random shouts from random Spanish boys were nothing more than amateur hour, and she had neither the time nor the inclination to entertain them.

That’s not to say, of course, she didn’t expect them. Far from it. She knew precisely what she looked like, and the vibe she was emitting. Her black, mesh bra was plainly visible through a very see-through white shirt, and her black skirt was both tight and short. So short that, every so often, she could feel the skirt ride above the bottom of her ass cheeks, exposing them to anyone who might be watching. She would instinctively pull the skirt down then, though there were a couple of times where she mentally checked herself before doing so and waited at least a couple of seconds before tugging it down. Her high heels made her ass look good, and she didn’t mind showing it off just a bit here and there.

She wasn’t quite sure where she was going—the instructions she was given were somewhat vague—but she pushed her earbuds further into her ear and picked up her pace nonetheless. It was dusk, and the streets of La Rambla were crowded. As though on a mission, she weaved into and out of the crowds of tourists like Barcelona was her home, and she was not a tourist herself. She still found it hard to believe there was anywhere worth going to in the middle of this tourist mecca (hell?), but her new friend had convinced her otherwise.

After twenty minutes of walking, she finally hit upon her destination: a battered, non-descript door marked “21D” on Carrer d’en Roca, near the Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi. She stood there for a second, wondering if her heart was beating so quickly because she had been walking briskly or because she was excited about what might happen next. She decided it didn’t matter, took a deep breath, and knocked as instructed.

Chapter Two

It was dim inside. Some unseen person had opened the door, and she had walked in on instinct. But, after a moment, her heartbeat picked up in intensity. She welcomed the cool interior which made for a nice contrast to the heat and humidity outside, but she was less excited about the fact she could barely make out anything more than rough shapes and forms as she peered ahead. A bar, some stools. Maybe some smaller tables. And a couple of rough outlines that she assumed were other people. She stood by the entrance, hoping that her eyes would adjust quickly.

“Ashley.”

Caught off guard, she jumped, then tried to play it off and looked in the direction of the voice. She sensed one of the figures approaching. It took her by the hand, and Ashley immediately felt a silky smooth hand on the other end.

“It’s me,” the figure said. “Maria.”

“H-hi,” Ashley managed to stammer out and then laughed to herself. She was not typically nervous and did not know where the nervousness was coming from.

“Don’t worry, your eyes will adjust,” Maria said. Ashley could hear the kindness in her voice. “Andres likes to keep the lights low because he claims it adds, how you say, ambiance? I think he can’t afford his electricity bill.” She said this last part with a giggle. They both knew that last part was not true.

Ashley felt herself pulled deeper into the Spanish speakeasy. Maria had told her it was one of the better kept secrets in Barcelona, even among the residents. Andres Rodriguez de la Pena, millionaire playboy and well-known Spanish socialite, Maria had told her earlier, had bought an out-of-business restaurant space for him and his trust fund friends to drink and unwind. Very few people were allowed inside, and those who were, were sworn to secrecy and discretion. Maria did not offer how it was that she came to know of its existence, and Ashley did not ask.

Maria led Ashley to one of the small tables, and they sat down in a booth, side by side. Their smooth legs pressed together, skin on skin. Ashley’s eyes had started to adjust, and she could make out another three booth/tables, a small bar, and a pair of stools. There were two other people inside—a bartender and a Spanish hipster sitting at one of the other booths.

“The bartender’s name is Otto,” Maria whispered as she nodded in his direction. He was a big man, barrel-chested with a full-beard. His neck appeared as wide as the hipster’ waist. “He’s originally from Germany, if you can believe it, but he came to Spain twenty five years ago and fell in love with a Spanish woman. She left him five years later. Terrible, heartbreaking story by the way, but by then, he had fallen in love with Spain and never thought about leaving.”

Ashley nodded. She was so impressed with Maria’s English. Apparently, Maria was fluent in five different languages and spoke each with only the slightest of accents. When they first started chatting earlier that day about getting together, Ashley had hoped she could use the opportunity to practice her Spanish with Maria. Unfortunately, Maria beat her to the punch, mentioning she wanted to practice her English with Ashley so Ashley acceded without much of a fight. She had gotten the distinct impression Maria often got her way.

“Do you know the guy at the table?” Ashley asked, hoping to make small talk. She wondered whether to move her leg away and, then, decided to leave it where it was.

“No,” Maria said in her husky whisper. “Looks like one of Andres’s writer friends. You know, one of those lost souls who thinks he can write the next great novel. He’s probably writing something erotic for his girlfriend, thinking it’s worthwhile when, in reality, it’s mierda.”

Ashley laughed.

“So,” Maria started, picking up the two wine glasses that had been in front of them. She handed one to Ashley. “Here is to new friends. Salud!”

“Salud!”

They each clinked their glasses, took a sip, and then set the glasses down on the table nearly simultaneously. Her eyes now more-or-less adjusted, Ashley turned to face her friend. Maria’s dark, black hair was pulled into a simple pony tail, and she wore a black dress with a lace pattern, but the details were impossible to decipher in the darkness. Ashley knew it was short because a significant amount of her own right leg was touching a significant amount of Maria’s left leg. Just then, her mind drifted momentarily back to earlier in the day when Maria had been in front of her on the beach fully naked. Ashley had stared at her smooth, wet body just a few feet away. When she finally snapped out of it and looked up at Maria’s face, both women were smiling. It appeared Maria liked the right type of attention as well.

As Ashley picked up her glass to take another nervous sip, Maria leaned over so that her lips were whispering directly into Ashley’s right ear. “Can I tell you a secret?”

Ashley’s heart skipped a beat and then picked up the pace. She put the wine down on the table for fear of spilling it on her shirt and then nodded. “Yes, of course.”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t come,” Maria confessed. “Even after we spoke and you agreed, I thought there might be some part of you that would be too shy.”

Ashley laughed. “No one has ever called me shy, believe me.”

“But you are shy,” Maria said. Her breath was warm on Ashley’s ear. “I watched you today on the beach. You took off your top and laid on your stomach for 30 minutes before you had enough nerve to turn over. And, even then, you kept looking around, back and forth, back and forth, to see if anyone was watching!”

Ashley was taken aback. “Wait, I thought I had spotted you.”

Ashley could feel Maria shake her head. “No, I saw you first. I am drawn to women’s legs, and I saw yours as you and your friend first arrived. I was watching you the whole time.” She paused. “So, I guess you were right to look around after all. You were being watched, and I doubt I was the only one watching you!”

Both women laughed.

“Well, once you started walking around, I’m pretty sure you stole the attention away,” Ashley said into Maria’s ear. She could smell a very faint trace of perfume on Maria’s neck. She didn’t recognize it, but it smelled of vanilla, and she liked it.

“Yes, maybe so,” Maria whispered. She put her hand on Ashley’s thigh and ran it back and forth for the quickest of moments. “Can I tell you one more secret?”

Ashley’s heart picked up the beat again.

“I think you have very nice breasts,” Maria said. Her hand moved slowly upward, her fingers moving beneath what little bit of the skirt remained in place but stopped just short of touching Ashley between her legs.

“Thank you,” Ashley said eventually, not sure what else she should be saying. Her breathing was becoming slightly more laborious.

“I told Andres all about your body,” Maria confessed. “Every detail. He was very excited and wanted to see a picture.”

“Ha, well, too bad there weren’t any of those,” Ashley said, nervously.

Maria stayed silent and pulled back with a smile. She took a sip of wine from her glass and winked at Ashley.